Fiscal Year 2021 Security Cooperation Figures

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December 22, 2021— The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs announce the Fiscal Year 2021 U.S. arms sales figures, as well as other notable Defense and State Department statistics, highlighting the depth and breadth of U.S. Security Cooperation and Security Assistance efforts worldwide. 

Arms sales and defense trade are tangible implements of U.S. foreign policy with potential long-term implications for regional security.  As such, when approving proposed Security Cooperation activities and defense transfers, the United States follows a holistic approach, which weighs political, military, economic, arms control, end use, and human rights factors to determine the appropriate provision of military equipment and the licensing of direct commercial sales to any country.  The U.S. government carefully assesses each proposed transfer on a case-by-case basis.  Major arms sales and defense transfers are also subject to Congressional notification. 

Under this Administration, the United States will insist on adherence to our agreements on the use of U.S. origin defense equipment by U.S. allies and partners, compliance with the law of armed conflict, and respect for human rights.  The United States will take appropriate measures in cases where the U.S. government concludes that violations have taken place.  This Administration will not approve arms transfers where we believe there is significant risk of diversion, civilian harm, or misuse. 

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the demand and delivery of U.S. defense articles and services, the U.S. government continued to support U.S. foreign policy through arms sales and transfers, institutional capacity building (ICB), international military training and education (IMTE), and humanitarian assistance (HA) programs and initiatives in Fiscal Year 2021.

For Fiscal Year 2021, DSCA executed $34.81 billion in implemented arm sales cases, with a three-year rolling average of $47 billion.  The three-year rolling average is a more accurate measure than the annual total, as it reduces the impact of sales that were implemented late in one fiscal year or early in the next. The sales figures break down as follows:

For Fiscal Year 2021, Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), licensed through the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), and sold by U.S. industry directly to foreign buyers, totaled $103.4 billion, with a three-year rolling average of $114.1 billion. The three-year rolling average for the combined total of FMS and DCS was $161.1 billion at the end of the fiscal year.

ICB and IMTE statistics were as follows:

  • The United States trained over 38,500 foreign military students by means of 28 DoD and State Department training programs.
  • DSCA and its component organizations conducted 383 advisory, education and training engagements with civilian officials and military officers from U.S. allies and partner nations.
  • DSCA component, the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, conducted events involving over 1,200 international partners from 81 partner nation militaries.
  • DSCA component, the Institute for Security Governance, conducted engagements by 298 U.S. faculty and subject matter experts involving over 2,800 ministerial and military personnel from 67 countries.
  • DSCA’s Ministry of Defense Advisors Program deployed 65 advisors to 17 U.S. allies and partner nations.

In Fiscal Year 2021, DSCA also executed $2.21 billion in worldwide Humanitarian Assistance programs, funded with amounts appropriated or reprogrammed into the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) appropriation.  Activities included continued support for COVID-19 pandemic response within U.S. allies and partner nations and rapid sheltering of Afghan evacuees and their family members at DoD installations in the U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Northern Command Areas of Responsibility upon the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. HA statistics were as follows:

  • 801 Humanitarian Assistance projects in support of 102 U.S. allies and partner nations;
  • 75 Humanitarian Assistance Transportation Program Deliveries;
  • $124.40 million for worldwide Humanitarian Assistance;
  • $119.10 million for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding; and
  • $1.96 billion for sheltering more than 80,000 Afghan evacuees/family members and on-going DoD support to the State Department and Operation Allies Welcome for humanitarian assistance to Afghan Evacuees.

The Defense Security Cooperation University registered nearly 14,000 online courses completed by the Security Cooperation workforce.

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